The Little Mermaid
by wanderingsheep
Summary: A twist on the original story of The Little Mermaid, Fairy Tail style!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Back with another story I had an idea for! This story is inspired by the original story of The Little Mermaid (not the Disney version), which you can look it up on Wikipedia for more information, and also by the song The Little Mermaid by Megurine Luka, which can be found on YouTube if you search for it. Hope you like it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, any of its characters, the original story of The Little Mermaid, or the Vocaloid Megurine Luka. **

. . .

Deep, deep under the sea there is a civilization of merfolk. It is known by those who live there as the city of Edolas. It is a vast and highly advanced city ruled by none other than King Gildarts. The merfolk of Edolas are content under his rule, and Gildarts lives happily in his castle with his mother, Porlyusica, and his six daughters, all who are envied for their beauty.

_When a mermaid turns 17, she is allowed to swim to the surface of the sea, to see what the world above is like. _

"Erza-nee is back!" an excited 13 year old Levy announced as her older sister swam back into the palace. Instantly, 5 excited and chattering girls crowd around the red head, all excited to hear their sister's account of what the world above was like.

"Alright, alright guys. Let me sit down first and then I can tell you all about the world above." Erza chuckled. She could understand her younger sisters' excitement, after all, being the oldest it would be the first time any of them heard of what life above was like.

As Erza wove her tale of the world above, all of her sisters sat and listened intently. One sister however, was captivated with this idea of the world above. This sister was the youngest; the 12 year old Lisanna.

"Next year I get to visit the world above! I'm so excited!" said the second oldest sister, Mirajane.

"Slow down there Mira, that's still a whole year. Don't get too ahead of yourself." Erza replied.

"Stop acting like you're all high and mighty just because you're the oldest!" Mira sneered. Their bickering continued, as it often did, but it was lost on the youngest sister, who was still lost in her dreams of the world above. Slowly, she swam outside and looked up.

"Wow… The world above sounds amazing." Lisanna breathed.

For the next 6 years after that, one of the sisters would come of age, and be allowed to visit the world above. Mirajane was next in line, followed by Cana, Juvia, and Levy. Each time, Lisanna would listen avidly to their stories, and lose herself in dreams of what it will be like when she visits. Her dreams were particularly vivid as she listened to Levy's, excited with the knowledge of knowing her turn would come next.

. . .

"Oh Mira-nee I'm so nervous! I can't wait to visit the world above but what if it isn't what I expected? What if something happens and I'm not allowed go? What if…" A jittery Lisanna said to her elder sister the night before her 17th birthday. Mirajane smiled at her younger sister and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Gently, she pushed the girl back until she was sitting on her bed, and then took a seat next to her. "Lisanna, nothing is going to go wrong. You're going to visit the world above and love it, just like we all did. Now take a deep breath and _relax._"

Lisanna did as Mira said and then smiled. "I guess you're right Mira-nee. I'm just so excited for tomorrow! I've been looking forward to this ever since I first heard Erza-nee tell us about it 6 years ago."

Mira chuckled. "I know, I know. Now it's getting late so maybe you should head on back to your room and try to sleep. Just remember: _relax, _tomorrow will be everything you ever imagined_."_

Lisanna yawned. "I guess I should, I am getting kind of tired. Thanks sis, and good night!" The girl stood up and left her sister's room, heading back to her own. Ever since she was little she had always felt particularly close to Mirajane. Perhaps it was because out of all her siblings, Mira and she were the only ones who truly looked related; with their deep blue eyes and snowy white hair.

_Of course, Mira-nee is much prettier than I am._ Lisanna thought to herself as she prepared for bed. Finally, the girl managed to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

. . .

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Lisanna was awoken to three of her sisters, Levy, Juvia and Cana, loudly singing and cheering. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. "Wha… What do guys want?" She asked somewhat irritably. She had been having a wonderful dream about the world above before her sisters interrupted.

"Birthday breakfast silly!" Levy exclaimed and gestured to Juvia who held a platter of delicious-looking food in her hands.

"And some birthday booze for me!" Cana said cheerfully, and held up a bottle before bringing it to her lips to take a hearty sip of the foul liquid.

"Does Dad know you're drinking again?" Lisanna asked as she took breakfast from Juvia.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him is what I always say." Cana replied before moving toward the door. She turned to face her youngest sister once more before leaving. "Hey, happy birthday kiddo." She slurred and left the room.

"Anyways," Levy began, breaking the awkward silence Cana had left. "I'm going to go. I need to take a shower and get ready for your big day!" She elbowed her youngest sister at the words big day to emphasize their importance.

"Juvia is going to leave now as well. Juvia has to get ready to meet Gray-sama later."

"Oooohhhh, Juvia and Gray sitting in a tree!" Lisanna teased and laughed as her sister turned beat red. It was no secret that Juvia was madly in love with Gray, a well-liked merman who lived in the city of Edolas. He was a famous sea horseback rider from whom Juvia took sea horseback riding lessons from. It had been a birthday gift from her father for her 18th birthday the previous year. Juvia had been delighted by the gift; she had held a love for seahorses ever since she had been young.

Juvia ran out of the room, and Levy followed, still chuckling at her reaction. Lisanna was left alone in her bedroom eating the breakfast her sisters had prepared for her. As she finished her breakfast, reality seemed to hit her. She swallowed the last bite in her mouth and placed her utensil down. Finally she burst.

"I can't believe it! Today's the day I get to visit the surface world!" She squealed as she jumped from her bed and danced around her room.

. . .

**There's the first chapter of my new story, I was thinking maybe I rushed this chapter a bit, but I think it's still pretty good. Let me know what you guys think! I'm hoping to be more frequent with updates in this story than I have with some of my previous works, so I'll try to have a new chapter out every Thursday.**


	2. Chapter 2

The day a mermaid turns 17 was a big day for any mermaid. It marked the day they could visit the world above, but more importantly, it was the age where a mermaid was considered an adult, she would now be old enough for marriage and would granted more freedom than she previously had. Naturally, because Lisanna was the daughter of King Gildarts, her 17th birthday was a grand event for all of the citizens of Edolas, especially those who were lucky enough to come to the celebration.

The celebration for Lisanna's birthday was held in the largest room of the castle; the dance hall. Beautiful decorations in Lisanna's favorite colors, white and periwinkle, adorned the hall, adding a lively vide to it. As Lisanna viewed the room for the first time, she gasped in amazement.

"Do you like it?" Erza asked with a smile.

"Erza-nee I love it!" The girl responded, flinging herself into her elder sister's arms for a grateful hug. Erza had placed herself in charge of Lisanna's party and no one argued with the scarlet haired woman, knowing how she gets.

"I'm glad," Erza said with a hint of relief in her voice as she hugged her sister back.

Releasing Erza from the hug, Lisanna looked up at her sister and spoke. "I'm going to go get ready for the party now. It's going to be starting pretty soon! Thank you for giving me such a beautiful room to celebrate in Erza-nee!"

As Lisanna returned to her room, the smile she held on her face faded, and a glint of sadness entered her eyes. "Poor Erza-nee…" She whispered to herself.

Of course, everyone in the palace knew the real reason why Erza was so determined to work on Lisanna's party. It was a distraction. Something to keep her mind occupied so she wouldn't have to think of _that._ Close to the date of Lisanna's birthday, was a painful anniversary for Erza. The anniversary of the day Jellal was thrown into jail for life.

Jellal and Erza were childhood friends. It was a friendship that had begun even before Lisanna was born. The two were inseparable and even at such a young age, the love they held for each other was obvious. However, Erza and Jellal were from two very different worlds. While Erza was the first-born daughter of the king, Jellal was the only son of a very poor family. Despite their differences the two got along famously, and no one opposed their friendship. As Jellal grew older and became more aware of the poverty his family lived in, he changed somehow. He felt unworthy to be friends with the daughter of the King despite Erza always telling him otherwise. At the age of 16 he realized he was in love with Erza, and he knew she felt the same way although she hadn't realized it herself. Jellal kept his feelings to himself, and tried distancing himself from Erza. He felt guilty; what would people say if Erza married a poor boy? Would they look down on his sweet Erza? The distance Jellal put between them saddened Erza, she thought Jellal didn't want to be her friend anymore. One day she discussed this with another friend of hers, Simon. This talk changed everything for Erza. Through this talk she realized her own feelings for Jellal and confronted him. They fought, it was a fight which Erza won and afterward the two began dating. This brought around a second change in Jellal. If he wasn't good enough for Erza right now, he would make himself good enough. Jellal began working. His time was divided into time spent working and time spent with Erza. A year later, when both Erza and Jellal were 17 years old, tragedy struck Jellal. Both of his parents, his only family, died. Jellal became depressed. He quit his work and broke up with Erza. For the next year or so Erza never heard from Jellal, but she never once stopped worrying about him. Her feelings for the man remained as strong as ever. Over time, Jellal grew out of his depressed state and found he literally had nothing left. Jellal became desperate and visited Flare, the sea witch in his desperate state. Flare lived outside of Edolas. She had been exiled for practicing black magic. Flare took advantage of him. Using her black magic she possessed him and caused him to commit terrible crimes. One day Jellal was captured and sentenced to life in jail for his crimes. As Jellal sat in jail, unable to return to Flare, he became himself again, as a condition of Flare's possession magic is that the one who is possessed must return to the possessor or the effects will wear off. When he realized what he had done, he was horrified at himself. He would never forgive himself and felt unworthy to do anything other than sit in his jail cell and rot. It was only now that Erza learned of Jellal's crimes. Immediately, she went to visit him but learned Jellal was never to have any visitors. Erza became depressed, feeling as though she had failed Jellal, wondering what she could've done to help and mourned her love for him. For a full week, Erza wouldn't leave her room. She sat inside unresponsive to any who called for her or tried to talk to her. Her sisters and father were deeply worried about Erza, but to their relief, slowly, over time, Erza came back to them. However, the anniversary of the day Jellal was thrown into jail always left Erza depressed.

Lisanna looked at her reflection in the mirror as she thought about this. Both Erza and Jellal deserved to be happy! She knew what she had to do, and knew who she had to speak to. Without a second thought, she left her room to find her father. After searching through the castle for a bit, she found him.

"Father, I have to ask you something." She said firmly.

"Go ahead," Gildarts said without looking at his daughter. Today was a busy day for him as well; with so much to do he couldn't give his daughter his full attention, even if it was her birthday.

"Allow Jellal to come to my celebration tonight." Lisanna said. She quickly took a defensive stance, ready to argue with her father.

Lisanna now had Gildarts full attention. He looked up at his daughter, surprised.

"Lisanna, you know he was sentenced to life in prison. Why would you ask such a thing?"

"For Erza Dad! She spent a year after they broke up worrying about him! When she finally heard news about him she learned she could never see him again! You saw what that did to her; she deserves to be happy doesn't she?"

Gildarts hesitated; when he spoke it was quietly and cautiously. "Yes, but I'm afraid seeing him again will send her back into that awful state. Even if I say yes she can only be with him for one night Lisanna, I can't change his crimes or his sentence."

"I think it would give her closer." Lisanna pressed.

Gildarts thought about it for a moment. He had a soft spot for his daughters; it was hard to say no to them. If Lisanna thought this would be good for Erza maybe she was right. Gildarts sighed.

"Fine, but just for tonight."

Lisanna smiled widely. "Thank you Father!" She exclaimed and gave her father a quick hug before dashing back to her room to continue getting ready for the party.

. . .

**End of chapter 2! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Again, a new chapter for this story should be out every Thursday.**


	3. Chapter 3

The celebration of Lisanna's birthday was a lively event. The dance hall was filled with merfolk of all ages whom were all greatly enjoying themselves. There were merfolk dancing, merfolk eating (And marveling at the great flavor of said food) and merfolk standing around chit-chatting to others. Erza received numerous compliments throughout the night on the excellent job she did planning the event. Lisanna, the mermaid of the hour, was positioned next to one of the many columns that outlined and offered support for the room. As opposed to the lively and mirth-filled mood of the celebration, Lisanna felt content and relaxed as she lost herself in her thoughts.

She looked around the room, noting her friends and siblings enjoying themselves at the party. Near the food table, she saw Levy talking to her two friends Jet and Droy. On the opposite side of the long table, she saw Gajeel with his typical scowl and arms across his chest. Every so often, he would glance over at Levy, Jet and Droy, and his scowl would deepen. At the bar, Lisanna saw her elder sister Cana with her drinking buddy, Bacchus. She frowned at the sight. Cana and Bacchus dated on and off, much to the disapproval of her father and sisters; whenever Bacchus was around, Cana drank more than she normally did. Lisanna also didn't like the way Bacchus looked at her; it felt as though he looked right through her clothing and was appraising her body.

She looked to the dance floor now and saw Juvia blushing furiously as she danced with Gray. Lisanna smiled at the sight of this, Juvia had always been a good girl and she and Gray both deserved happiness. Lisanna did a double take as she saw Alzack and Bisca dancing together. Last time she had heard, the two had been too shy to tell each other how they felt and Lisanna wondered when this had changed. Another surprising pair that she saw dancing was Elfman and Evergreen. Elfman had always been like a big brother to Lisanna, and the two had always been close. As she watched Elfman dance with Evergreen she wondered how that unlikely combination had come to be.

Looking away from the crowds of people dancing, Lisanna saw Erza talking with a group of older merfolk. She really couldn't wait to see Erza's reaction when Jellal showed up. Farther down from Erza, Lisanna saw Mira talking to Laxus while Freed furiously looked on with Bickslow, who laughed at the green-haired man's anger. Although Mirajane constantly denied having any feelings for Laxus, Lisanna held on to the hope that the two would one day start dating; Laxus was a good man, and she thought he and Mira would make a good couple. Near the very front of the dance hall, she saw her father, King Gildarts talking with the old man Makarov, and two men whom she thought were perverted, Wakaba and Macao.

Even though all of her sisters have had boyfriends, Lisanna never had. There were many great mermen in the city of Edolas; she just couldn't find it in her to see any of them in a romantic light. Not that had ever been something that bothered her in the past; deep down she knew that one day she would find the right guy for her. However, as she glanced around the dance hall and saw all of her friends enjoying themselves she suddenly felt lonely. She frowned at this thought, but had no time to think any further about it as she was approached by Levy and Jet.

"What are you doing just standing around Lisanna? This is your party, enjoy yourself!" Levy exclaimed.

Lisanna opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Levy again.

"Here," She started and grabbed Lisanna's hand. "Dance with Jet!"

Levy offered Lisanna's hand to Jet who looked startled. With a slight blush he spoke. "Sh-shall we?"

"Sure" Lisanna stammered. Jet took her hand and looked at Levy. "What about you?" He asked.

Levy hesitated before answering. "I'm going to go speak to Gajeel" Without giving Lisanna and Jet time to think about what she said, Levy pushed the pair towards the dance floor. "You kids have fun now!" She yelled and scurried off in Gajeel's direction.

Jet led Lisanna onto the jumbled dance floor and the two began to dance. It was awkward at first, but Lisanna soon loosened up upon discovering that Jet was a great dancer. Lisanna was rather unsurprised to find that not too long after she had begun dancing with Jet, Levy emerged onto the dance floor with Gajeel. Jet stole a jealous look at the two when he thought Lisanna wasn't looking, although she didn't miss the glance. That was also unsurprising to Lisanna. It was no secret to everyone except Levy that both Jet and Droy loved the blue haired girl.

"So, Lisanna" Jet began casually as he looked at the girl and smiled. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to watch the seahorse games next week. I heard Gray is supposed to participate in it."

Lisanna was confused. Didn't Jet like Levy? "Are you asking me out on a date?" She asked slowly.

Jet blushed and looked away. "I-I am." He said.

Lisanna looked at Jet, who refused to meet her gaze. He looked as confused as Lisanna felt. "Jet, don't you love Levy-nee?"

Jet glanced at Levy longingly, before looking at Lisanna sadly. "No," He lied.

"I-I don't think I can go with you." Lisanna stated. Jet gazed at her, confused. Even if Jet wouldn't admit it to himself, he was in love with Levy. And Lisanna held no feelings of the sort for Jet, nor was she the type of girl to lead someone on.

Spotting Mirajane at the bar, Lisanna quickly spoke. "Mira-nee is calling me over to the bar." She broke away from Jet and hurried over to Mira.

"Were you just dancing with Jet?" Mira asked.

"It's a long story; I don't want to talk about it right now." Lisanna stated. "Hey Mira-nee, can I have a drink?" She continued eager to change the topic.

Mira looked startled, and Lisanna laughed at her expression. "I'm 17 now! A legal adult and I can drink if I want to! Cana-nee seems to enjoy it, there must be something good about it."

Mira chuckled. "Of course you can have a drink, I'll get us both one. Just promise me you won't go overboard."

After Lisanna agreed, Mira fetched them both a bottle. Lisanna discovered she wasn't too fond of the taste, although she took a few more sips of the liquid before discarding it. She put the event with Jet out of her mind and enjoyed the rest of her night. After a while, her father called her over.

"Jellal will be arriving soon. He should go unnoticed by most of the guests here so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm wary of Erza's reaction so I'd prefer it if you could take her with you to meet him in front of the castle, that way if she makes a scene there won't be so many people around to see it."

Lisanna squealed with excitement. "Thank you Father! I'll go find Erza-nee now!"

Gildarts chuckled as he watched his youngest daughter swim off. "That girl has always been my most generous child, even if she is a little naïve sometimes." As Lisanna shrank out of view he continued. "I just hope that naivety doesn't get her into trouble."

. . .

"Where exactly are you bringing me? We should be back at your celebration enjoying ourselves." Erza asked as Lisanna led her to the front of the castle as she and her father had planned.

"There's something I want you to see." Was all Lisanna would say on the matter despite Erza pressing her younger sister for more details.

After about 15 minutes of waiting Erza sighed, "Whatever this is I'm sure it can wait until later."

Lisanna grabbed her arm as she began to leave. "Wait Erza-nee, it's coming now!" She said and pointed toward a carriage pulled by two mean-looking sea horses. Two large mermen got out of the front of the carriage and opened the door to the back of the carriage. One of the mermen yanked Jellal out, and he stumbled a bit as he took his first few steps out of the carriage.

Jellal looked the same as he always had, yet different. Prison had left Jellal looking weary, and his hair was slightly shaggier than Lisanna remembered. She turned to see Erza as she heard her sister suck in a sharp breath. All emotion drained out of her face and her mouth gaped open. Finally she muttered one word. "Jellal…."

When Jellal saw Erza he had a similar expression. Lisanna looked between the two, waiting for one to react. She nudged Erza, and the red-haired woman regained life and headed toward Jellal at full speed. As she tackle-hugged Jellal, he staggered back a few feet, but returned her hug.

"You're back," Erza said happily.

Jellal smiled sadly, "I am. For tonight at least."

After the small exchange of words the two exchanged a passionate kiss. One that made up for all the time they had lost.

. . .

**That's the end of chapter 3! Thanks to everyone who read my story as well as to those who review, favorite, alert, etc. This story is going a bit slower than I originally intended but I hope you all still enjoy it. I will make a promise right now that the next chapter will have Natsu in it! As always, let me know what you think and expect a new chapter next Thursday!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gahh, I didn't post last week, I'm so sorry guys! I've been doing a lot of traveling and I didn't have the time I thought I would to write. In order to make up for that, I will post another chapter this Sunday. Without further ado here's chapter 4! **

** . . .**

After Erza and Jellal's reunion, Lisanna and the pair decided to return to the celebration. As they walked back, Erza fervently conversed with Jellal. They spoke of the past; Erza told him about all the things that had happened while he was in jail. Jellal did most of the listening, but would interject occasionally. As they reached the dance hall, Jellal called out to Lisanna. The girl looked at him surprised; neither he nor Erza had really acknowledged her presence on the way there.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" She asked.

"No, I just wanted to thank you for giving me this one night with Erza." Jellal said.

"Don't worry about it! You and Erza-nee both deserve happiness, I'm glad I could give you tonight. Now don't waste it talking to me, go be with her!" Lisanna said with a smile.

Jellal gave Lisanna one more grateful look and thanked her for a last time and went to find Erza. As he looked around the hall, he noticed many of his old friends, some who still looked the same, and some who Jellal barely recognized. Finally, he found Erza at the bar and hurried over.

Erza smiled as she watched Jellal approach.

"Hey I was wondering where you went," She said as he sat down next to her.

"I just had to thank your sister for letting us be together tonight." He responded.

After the two had been talking for a while, Mirajane came over. Her eyes widened as she saw Jellal.

"Is that…" She began.

"It's nice to see you again Mira" Jellal said with a smile.

Mirajane looked between Erza and Jellal in surprise. She was a bit weary of Jellal, thinking of all the crimes he had committed to land himself in prison, but was also happy for him and Erza, knowing the two cared deeply for each other.

"I'll go get you both a drink," She finally said, eager to get away. Erza and Jellal were silent for a few moments as Mirajane left. Jellal looked around the room, taking in all the details for the first time. Even if Erza herself hadn't already told him, Jellal could have deduced that she had been in charge of Lisanna's party. Nobody else could have possibly set everything up so perfectly, from decorations to food. Even the music was perfect. It was classy, yet set the mood and was perfect for dancing.

_Dancing hmm... _Jellal thought and glanced at Erza; the girl looked deep in thought.

"Erza," He began, as Erza looked at him. "May I have this dance?"

Erza blinked. "But my sister's getting us drinks, we can't just leave."

"I don't think she'll mind." He said and offered her his hand.

"Okay," She said and took his hand. Jellal led her onto the dance floor and the pair began to dance.

_Meanwhile above the sea…_

"Oooog… I don't feel so good," said a pink-haired young man.

"You're the one who wanted to come out with us Natsu." Max said, sighing as he looked at the sight of Natsu hunched over the side of the ship.

"Firss.. time onna ship… Didn know it'd rock.. so much- ooog!" Natsu managed to say.

Max sighed again, thinking of how eager Natsu had been to go out on a boat for the first time.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now. Can't go back until we've caught some fish. We'll probably be out for a few days so you'd better hope you get your sea legs soon." Max looked out into the distance where there were a few dark clouds gathering. "That is, unless the weather has something to say about it. Hopefully the storm will miss us though."

"Oy, Max! We need some help over here!" A shipmate yelled.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" He yelled back. He cast one more worried glance at Natsu before heading over to where he was being called.

"Ooog…" Natsu groaned and internally regretted his decision to travel out to sea. It had sounded like fun when Max had asked him about it originally, and he had been even more excited when his father actually agreed to let him go, however now he only wished to be home, safe on land while he was once again lectured on necessities of acting properly and maturely.

_This was a bad idea…_

"Erza?" Jellal asked.

"Hmm?" The girl said, having been pulled out of her thoughts.

"Is something wrong? You look like you have something on your mind.."

Erza looked away, trying to hide the confused and sad expression on her face. It did not escape Jellal though; dancing in close proximity makes it hard to hide emotion, especially from someone who knows you well.

"What is it Erza?" Jellal asked again.

"It's… you."

Jellal was surprised at this answer; of the many things he expected to hear, this was not one of them. "What do you mean me?"

"I keep thinking of before and trying to figure out why you did the awful things you did. I thought I knew you so well and I thought really understood you but I just don't get it. What possessed you to do those things?" Erza said sadly.

Jellal's heart dropped. He had been hoping to get through the night while avoiding this topic. He hadn't planned on telling anyone that being possessed by Flare was what forced him to do what he did. Although Jellal hadn't consciously done such things, it had still physically been him that had and Jellal couldn't forgive himself for that. Rotting away in prison would be the only fitting end for himself in his eyes. He couldn't lie to Erza though. He saw the hurt in her eyes as she tried to comprehend his actions.

"Before I tell you, you must promise me that no matter what I say, you will never tell another person about this." Jellal said solemnly.

"I promise." Erza said, equally as seriously.

"It's as you said earlier; I was possessed when I did what I did. Possessed by the sea witch Flare."

Erza's eyes widened as Jellal mentioned Flare. She was an old sea witch who had been exiled long ago. Not much was known about her location or even if she was still alive. Some merfolk even went as far to say she was an old legend, that she had never even existed.

"What? Flare? Are you sure? How did you find her?"

"It was during a time when I was dirt poor, after I had broken up with you and my parents were dead; I had absolutely nothing. I wandered out of Edolas one day and just… found her. At first I believed I had gotten really lucky; I thought she was a kind woman for offering me shelter, feeding me and promising to help me get back on track. It was a trap though. Before I knew it she had taken control of me. There was nothing I could do then." Jellal's eyes were far away as he remembered things he had wanted to locked away and never think of again.

"Jellal that's terrible! You should tell the guards at the prison about this! If I vouch for you maybe it will change your sentence-"

"No! We cannot tell anyone else about this. You promised me Erza."

"But-"  
"It won't do any good anyhow. Even if I were to tell them this, they'll question why I didn't speak up sooner. Some folk don't even believe Flare really exists. They'll write my story off as a desperate attempt from a desperate man to get out."

Although she did not wish to admit it, Jellal was right. It saddened her to know there was nothing she could do for the condemned man she loved. Jellal pulled her into a tight hug as a single tear slid down her face.

"I was doomed long before I told you about this Erza; let's just enjoy the rest of our night together."

Erza dried her eyes and smiled sadly at Jellal.

"Good idea." She replied.

For Lisanna, the rest of the night was uneventful. Though she was having fun with her friends, she found that the more time passed, the more she just wanted the celebration to be over so she could visit the world above. It was something she had dreamed about ever since her oldest sister had gone and told them all stories of what it was like. There was also this feeling that tonight would change something inside her, though Lisanna figured that was her imagination. Finally, though not soon enough for her liking, the celebration was over. One by one the guests left until Lisanna was left with only her family, minus Erza who she figured was relishing her last few moments with Jellal. Finally the time had come where she would fulfill her dream of visiting the world above.

_** . . .**_

**That's the end of chapter 4! Hope you enjoyed it! This story has been going a bit slower then I originally planned, but there's also a lot more to the plot than there was going to be. The next chapter will be the awaited scene where Lisanna visits the world above! Again, to make up for missing a chapter last week I will be posting the next chapter early, on Sunday.**


	5. Chapter 5

A merwoman with hair the color of red sunsets sat inside her cluttered messy home fiddling with an odd trinket she had found for umpteenth time that week with a bored expression on her face. She was currently waiting for one of her followers to return to her with any interesting bits of information he had for her. Her eyes flicked toward the window and then back to the trinket in front her and sighed in annoyance. Living in exile had seemed like such a boring existence to her at first, but it was one she had gotten used to after the many years of living as such. It had now been seven generations since she had been exiled by Mavis, who had been queen of Edolas at the time. Of course, she knew she could easily return to Edolas, as many of the citizens regarded her as no more than a legend nowadays, however she refrained. If she was going to go back, it would be with a bang. She would get revenge for being exiled, even if Mavis had long since died, she would seek revenge against whoever currently ruled over Edolas. It was just a matter of waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Flare" Kurohebi said, causing Flare to notice his presence.

"What's taken you so long? I've been sooo bored waiting for you to arrive." Flare said.

Kurohebi was one of Flare's followers, one of the few she actually liked. He had a twisted aura about him that Flare found similar to her own; they were both people who enjoyed watching others in pain. Many of Flare's followers chose to follow her for selfish reasons, but Kurohebi was one of the few who followed her for his own sick pleasure.

"It seems that today is the 17th birthday of the King's youngest daughter, so the whole city is in a huge commotion. I had to be careful while leaving so no one would question where I was going."

"Ahh… I see, and do they still carry that tradition of visting the world above on the 17th birthday?"

"I believe so."

"Honestly," Flare scoffed. "Such a stupid tradition. There isn't much to see above anyhow, the upper world is quite ugly in my opinion. Have you any other news for me"

Kurohebi shook his head.

"I see. You may leave now."

Wordlessly, Kurohebi left.

. . .

"Now Lisanna, there are a few rules I have to tell you before you are allowed to visit the world above." Gildarts said.

It was just Lisanna and Gildarts standing in the front hall now. Gildarts had dismissed Lisanna's siblings so he could speak to Lisanna one-on-one before she went. They had all left obediently, knowing what their father would tell to their youngest sister.

Lisanna looked at Gildarts eagerly, waiting for him to begin speaking again.

"First, when you reach the surface there are creatures you must be wary of called humans. You **must** not let these humans see you. Our existence must remain a secret from them. Out of all the rules I will tell you, this is the most important."

Lisanna's curiosity peaked at the mention of these strange creatures. "What do these humans look like?" She asked.

"They look like us merfolk, except they have legs instead of tail fins."

There weren't many creatures Lisanna knew of that had legs. The creature that came to her mind when she thought of legs was a crab, and she tried to picture a mermaid with crab legs. She frowned at this image.

"These humans don't sound like very attractive creatures." Lisanna said.

Gildarts chuckled and continued on. "Second, humans have created many different types of contraptions and whatnot. A lot of times these things will fall into the water but you must not take them back with you. We don't know what these human inventions may do." Gildarts paused to see if his daughter would question him further, but she nodded and urged him to continue.

Now his expression softened, and he placed his hands on Lisanna's shoulders.

"Finally, I want you to enjoy this. It is a changing experience and one you will remember for a long time. This is perhaps the best birthday present I can give to you, my daughter."

"Thank you Father." Lisanna replied and hugged her father tightly.

"Alright," Gildarts said when Lisanna released him. "You may go now. You can head upward wherever you want; a lot of folk do it at a place that is special to them."

With a squeal, Lisanna rushed out of the castle. She knew exactly where she wanted to be when she ascended; it was at a beautiful coral reef she had found while exploring when she was 12. The reef was outside of Edolas and it would take a while before she arrived there but she had been decided on ascending there for years.

Finally, Lisanna arrived at the reef and took a deep breath. She took a moment to admire the beauty of the reef, glad that she could rise around the beauty, and then began to swim toward the mysterious surface she wanted to see for as long as she could remember. After a few minutes of swimming Lisanna looked below her and saw that Edolas looked small and very distant. She now knew how deep the sea really was. A few more minutes of swimming and Lisanna broke surface.

. . .

"Shit…" Max muttered to himself. The ship and all of its crew were in a frenzy as they were assaulted by both the sea and weather. The ship rocked violently back and forth as it went over the ocean's waves. Max could scarcely see through the heavy rain and the fierce winds that came with the storm. Suddenly there was a bright flash overhead that was followed by a thundering boom.

"Damn it all," Max muttered to himself one final time before joining the madness of men shouting and running back and forth, some sure of what they were doing and some who seemed lost.

. . .

"Wow!" Lisanna exclaimed to herself as she looked around at the world above for the first time. The world above wasn't exactly what Lisanna expected. She was surrounded by water for miles and above the sky was a dark gray.

"There's even water coming from above!" A flash of lightning lights up the sky. "Whoa!" She yelled again, but the sound of her voice was lost to the thunder.

More lightening lights up the sky, but this time in the form of a bolt, and Lisanna cheered and clapped at the sight. "I wonder if the humans are behind this lightshow… Father did say they invented a lot of contraptions."

"I like the world above." Lisanna announced to herself. Lightening once again flashed across the sky and caused Lisanna to notice a large object floating above the water in the distance.

"What's that?" She wondered aloud and approached the object. As she got nearer, she realized how huge the object really was. She looked up and noticed tiny figures running around on top. "Those must be the humans!" Lisanna said, and starts to panic. She calmed down as she realized the humans haven't noticed her, in fact they looked like they were panicking themselves.

"Father said I can't be seen by them, but he never said I couldn't watch them. I'll just be really careful, and they won't even notice me!" Lisanna said, and cautiously approached the floating object. As she watched, she thought of how similar the humans seemed to be to merfolk, and smiled.

. . .

Max looked at the sky, silently praying that the storm's end was in sight, but was disappointed to see no such thing. The ship suddenly lurched to the left and Max lost his balance and stumbled. "Sheesh, if I was near the railings of the ship that could've knocked me off just now." Suddenly Max thought of Natsu for the first time since the ship had entered the storm.

"Oh no," He says and frantically searched for signs of Natsu. _That guy is probably still seasick. If that's the case, he probably hasn't moved much from earlier._ Max thought, and sure enough, he found Natsu looking sick standing near the railing.

"Natsu you idiot! Get away from the railing in case you fall!" Max yelled but his voice was lost over the commotion of everything else. Max began to run toward Natsu but fell due to another violent lurch of the ship. The same lurch does what Max had feared- knocks Natsu off of the ship as he hunched over the railing to throw up.

"Crap!" Max screamed and rushed back onto his feet to check for signs of the man in the sea.

. . .

As Lisanna watched she noticed one of the humans acting differently from the rest. He stood near the railings of the floating object that she learned was called a ship through the yelling of the humans aboard it. Occasionally this human would hunch over the railing, much to the curiosity of Lisanna. As she watched him, Lisanna decided this human is her favorite one to watch and focuses her attention on him. She couldn't see him too well, but managed to make out one feature; odd, pink, spikey hair. Lisanna gasped as she saw the human fall overboard and into the water.

_Is he alright? Can humans swim?_ She wonders worriedly. Seconds pass and the human doesn't resurface. _Oh no, he's not coming up! _She thinks frantically. _I've got to do something! Father said not to let the humans see me but I can't just let him die! _ Making up her mind, Lisanna dives underwater to save the human.

**. . .**

**That's the end of chapter 5! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be up on Thursday!**


	6. Chapter 6

Once underwater, Lisanna looked around searching for the human who had fallen off of the ship. She found him sinking and unmoving, and realized he was probably unconscious. She swam over to him, grabbed him from under his arms, and swam away. She knew she had to get away from the ship before she could surface, by now the other humans on board had probably realized he had fallen and would be looking for him in the water. If she was seen by the other humans, she would get questioned and she would have broken one of the rules her father had said to her. Once she was sure she had gotten enough distance, she rose to the surface. Once she had the human above the water she looked at him. Up close, she realized how handsome the human was, and blushed slightly as the thought crossed her mind. Another thought crossed her mind; what was she going to do with the human now that she had saved him? She couldn't bring him back to the ship without being seen, and she couldn't leave him in the water.

_Well, he must live somewhere. Maybe I could bring him home, but where does he live? It can't be in the water; those legs of his seem to be no good for swimming. _Lisanna sighed. She still didn't have a solution.

"Well, I can't just stay here all day, the ship might come by and I'll be spotted. I'll just have to keep swimming and wait until I can think of something." Lisanna said to herself, and began swimming. It was hard work swimming with the human, but Lisanna didn't complain. After she had been swimming for some time, she looked up and realized that the sky was no longer gray, but a bright blue.

"There isn't water coming from above anymore," Lisanna said in surprise. As she looked around, she realized she could see much better than she could when the sky was gray and wet. In the distance, she saw sand coming out of the water and thought it strange as she looked at it. She looked back at her human and realized that that was probably where he was from; legs were probably more efficient on dry sand than they were in the ocean. Deciding to bring her human there, Lisanna resumed swimming.

Finally, Lisanna reached the sand, and was about to drag her human up onto it when she noticed another human coming.

"This is great! I can pull you up onto the beach, and that human can find you and take care of you." Lisanna said to the unconscious man. Using the waves to help, she pushed the human onto the dry land. Once that was accomplished, she hid behind a large rock jutting out of the water to make sure the other human found him. As she hid, she felt a pang of sadness. It would probably be the last time she would ever see this human again, and he would never know her. The other human came closer into view and Lisanna saw it was a girl with blonde hair.

. . .

"Ahh, such a nice day for a walk! I just love the feeling of sand between my toes!" A barefooted Lucy Heartfilia exclaimed on a sunny afternoon. Beside her walked the strange creature she called Plue, whom she had found one day. No one was quite sure what kind of animal Plue was, but Lucy thought the small creature was adorable, and kept him as a pet.

"Pupuuun!" Plue agreed.

Lucy hummed to herself as they walked, She was in a great mood, and was having a—

"What the heck!" Lucy yelled, surprised as she noticed a pink haired man washed up face down on the beach not too far from where she was. She ran up to him and saw he wasn't moving. She kneeled down next to him, checking to see if he was okay, and realized he was unconscious. "Oh no," She said and looked out to sea, trying to imagine where he could have come from. Suddenly, the man began to cough violently, and his eyes opened weakly. His eyes met with a surprised Lucy, before they fluttered shut and he fell unconscious again.

_He needs to see a doctor. _Lucy thought to herself and stood back up.

"C'mon Plue, we're going to have to bring this man into town and find a doctor for him." Lucy said, pulling the man onto her back.

It was lucky for Lucy that the beach was close to town. The town, called Magnolia, was known by many as "the town near the sea". It was a prosperous and lively area, and one of its most famous landmarks was the castle which was built near the edge of town overlooking the sea, where the king of Magnolia lived. When Lucy's father had told her they would be visiting Magnolia Lucy had been more than excited. It had always been a place Lucy dreamed of seeing.

"Help, this man is unconscious and we need a doctor!" Lucy yelled as she got into town. Nearby townsfolk watched Lucy in surprise. Whisperings began to pass amongst them as Lucy walked through, searching for someone who could help.

"Is that…"

"It couldn't be…"

"That man she's carrying, he couldn't be—"

Soon, Lucy found herself being approached by guards.

"We'll be taking him ma'am." One guard said as another took the man from Lucy.

"Oh, thanks," Lucy said offhandedly. She was glad she was getting help, but she couldn't help but feel as though the guards were suspicious of her.

"I-Is he going to be okay?" She asked.

"He should be fine now. He'll be brought to his doctor. You however, are going to have to come with me. You'll be getting questioned as to why the Prince was unconscious and with you when he is in fact supposed to be out at sea on a fishing trip."

"Prince!?" Lucy yelled as the remaining guards began to drag her off towards the castle.

"I just found him unconscious on the beach; I don't know anything about this guy!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Even so, you're still going to have to come with us."

_Just my luck,_ Lucy thought sourly.

. . .

As Lisanna watched the blonde human girl carry away her human, the sadness she felt intensified. A single tear rolled down her face and Lisanna touched it, surprised.

"W-Why am I crying? He was just a human, it's not like I could ever see him again; it had to be this way…" She said to herself, and then burst into tears. Clinging to the rock in front of her for comfort, Lisanna sobbed. After some time, the crying stopped, and Lisanna felt numb. She wiped her face, and giving the land one last look, dove back into the water.

_If I go back like this, they'll all ask me what's wrong and worry. _Lisanna thought to herself, and practiced feigning happiness while she swam back. Finally, she reached her home, and pasting a grand smile on her face she entered.

Immediately, she was surrounded by Mirajane, Levy, Juvia and Cana, all talking excitedly and at once. After they had calmed down, Levy spoke.

"_Sooo_, how was it?!" She asked eagerly.

Lisanna smiled widely and answered. "It was great! Everything I always dreamed of! I'm really tired after everything that happened today though, so I'm going to head off to bed. Good night everyone." Without waiting for a response, Lisanna turned and left for the safety of her bedroom, suddenly feeling exhausted. When she reached her room, she locked the door in case one of her sisters followed. Lisanna didn't want to talk to anyone.

After Lisanna left, all of the sisters looked amongst themselves, confused.

"What was that about?" Levy wondered.

** . . .**

**Sad Lisanna is sad :c But don't worry, she'll soon cheer up as we dive deeper into the plot! As always, thanks for reading the chapter and the next chapter will be up next Thursday**


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